You are here:

Guidelines for Multiple Joint Replacements

Topic Overview

Some people may need to have more than one joint
replaced—for example, a shoulder and an elbow, a shoulder and a knee, both
knees, or a hip and a knee. Doctors have different opinions about what is best,
based on their experience and your specific situation. Your doctor will
consider many things, but the following are some general guidelines.

If you need both a shoulder and an elbow
replaced, your doctor will probably replace the more painful and disabling
joint first.

If you need a shoulder and either a hip or knee
replaced, your doctor usually cannot replace the hip or knee until at least 3
months after the shoulder. This is to give the shoulder time to heal before you
need to use crutches or a walker after the surgery on your hip or
knee.

If you need both a hip and a knee replacement, and you are
not sure how well you will tolerate rehabilitation (rehab), most doctors will
recommend having surgery on the hip first. Recovery after hip surgery doesn't
require as much rehab, so if you do well, you may also do well with the more
intensive rehab required after knee surgery.

If both knees or both
hips need replacement, some doctors recommend doing both knees or hips at the
same time during the same surgery. Others may recommend doing two separate
surgeries during a single hospital stay.

If you need hip and knee
replacement surgery on the same leg, doctors will usually replace either the
most painful joint or the hip first. There are two reasons for this:

Pain from arthritis in the hip joint can
spread to the knee (referred pain). Replacing the hip first
gives you a better idea how much of your knee pain is actually from arthritis
in your knee.

The hip surgery usually is done first, because a
painful knee will not interfere too much with successful rehab after hip
surgery. On the other hand, a painful hip may interfere with successful rehab
after knee replacement surgery.

If you do have two surgeries at the same time or
very close together, your recovery is likely to take longer than if you had a
single surgery. But it is still likely to be shorter than the total recovery
time for one surgery and recovery followed by a separate surgery and
recovery.

This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated, disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. Learn how we develop our content.